Gourd History

The Gourd has been used by man as far back as we can tell, since the very beginning. A gourd grew over Jonah to shade him
from the heat as God used this vegetable to teach Jonah a lesson about forgiveness. Pottery and utensils dating back to prehistory may well
have been fashioned and made after the shape and uses of gourds.

The Purple Martin is one bird who's mere existance is today nearly totally dependant on man to supply a nesting place for them, and they most commonly accept a large gourd which has been named after the bird, the Purple Martin Gourd. This gourd is so preferred by Purple Martins that companies now manufacture plastic Purple Martin bird houses molded in the shape of this gourd. How could these birds have come to this dependency?